This paper examines the motif of metamorphosis in Japanese literature, focusing on folktales and Volume 27 of Konjaku Monogatarishu. It first confirms that metamorphosis is not merely a change in outward appearance, but a concept imbued with symbolic and psychological significance. On this basis, the study analyzes folktales such as The Crane’s Gratitude and The Snow Woman, as well as various narratives contained in Volume 27 of Konjaku Monogatarishu.
Kurbonova et al. (Tue,) studied this question.